


Back to the Beginning

by Nuro_chan, phenomenology



Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Ezra just wants to escape, Gen, Kanan is sappy, Nobody has any real idea what's going on, not even me half the time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-29 12:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6375598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nuro_chan/pseuds/Nuro_chan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/phenomenology/pseuds/phenomenology
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternately titled- How to NOT fuck up the galaxy.</p>
<p>When Ezra and Kanan find themselves transported fifteen years into the past they must face many challenges and trials. But the biggest they face is a simple question; Do they dare change anything, for fear of loosing what little they have?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> The time travel AU that practically nobody asked for but I'll be writing anyway.  
> Big thanks to phenomenology (flowers-for-the-sith) for beta reading for me and keeping me in line! They're also majorly responsible for me sitting down and writing this, due to the number of ideas we've been exchanging on the subject.

The Force works in many weird and wonderful ways. This is an undisputed fact across the galaxy, one which the Jedi live with every day.

Kanan Jarrus had lived through genocides and systematic oppression. He’d seen the force take many shapes and forms in his years on the run, and had resigned himself to never fully understanding how exactly it worked. He’d seen more than his share of oddities, but this? This took the cake.

Here he stood, side by side with his padawan in front of the Jedi temple on Coruscant, over fifteen years in the past. He heaved a sigh and brought a hand up to massage his temples.

It was going to be a long day.

~*~

To say Kanan was on edge would be an understatement. Shoulders hunched, eyes checking for assailants and exits constantly, he probably looked  as much like a  caged loth-cat as he felt.

Having appeared in a flash of light in the temple courtyard as suddenly as they did - frightening a class of younglings in the process - it shouldn’t have been a surprise that they were now being escorted to the holding cells by a contingent of Jedi Sentinels and Clones. He just hoped they’d get the opportunity to at least try to explain what was going on.

He looked over to Ezra to reassure himself that the boy was alright, only to see him already halfway through picking the locks on his cuffs. Only just restraining himself from rolling his eyes, he sent a reprimanding glare at his troublesome young padawan, receiving a subtle eyebrow raise in return. He tried to silently communicate that they (probably) weren’t going to get hurt by these guys and that they probably shouldn’t try to escape. Yet.

He felt, more than saw, Ezra roll his eyes, but the lock picks in his hands slid back up his sleeves into their hidden pockets. They needed more information on what was going on, but they wouldn’t be able to do that very well with the Jedi Order attempting to capture them.

~*~

Ezra had to admit, these cells were much nicer than any he’d been in before. The cot had a blanket and a pillow, the lighting was bright and airy rather than the depressing drab grey of imperial prisons.  It also helped that he could see Kanan meditating in the cell across from his through the barriers  to the cells.

The one thing that was annoying him was the silence. There was a pair of guards  stationed at each of their doors, and in the three hours since they’d arrived not a word had been spoken by them. Kanan had begun meditating immediately, looking for answers, but Ezra found that he couldn’t join his master. The nervous energy that had been building up since they arrived refused to dissipate no matter what he did.  And Kanan not talking to him - let alone explaining this situation - made him even more agitated.

He started off by pacing and looking for escape routes. He came up with nearly thirty different escape plans of decreasing probability of success before eventually giving up. He’d tried meditation, push ups and sit ups, striking up conversation with the guards, heck he’d even tried to take a nap! But in spite of his efforts, nothing seemed to be able to calm him down.

If he was being entirely honest, Ezra had never spent this long in a single cell before. Oh yes, he’d been  _ caught _ many times, but usually he managed to escape before he even got to the cell. So to him this was a new experience. One he was most definitely not enjoying and had no intentions of repeating ever again.

Frustrated, he started pacing again. He really hoped that someone would at least come down and explain why they were being held prisoner. Maybe it was a hidden sect of Jedi that had managed to stay under the empire’s radar? On the other hand, this could be where the inquisitors were trained and this was all just to make them lower their guard! What if-

_ “Ezra.” _

He looked up, a guilty half smile tugging at his lips. The use of his name was deliberate. It was meant to tell him that Kanan trusted these people. And if Kanan trusted them, then he did as well.

The nervous energy quickly dissipated after that and he sat down on the bed, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t still looking for a way out of this damn cell. It merely meant that he would be more sensible about it.

He shuffled, getting himself more comfortable before he took a deep breath and reached out into the Force.

The first thing he was surprised by was how  _ light _ it felt. Rather than a pressing weight, guiding his actions and his thoughts, it was a gentle breeze. It pushed him in the right direction but left it to him to decide how to get there. It was…nice, to not have that pressure on him. To not have that responsibility.

He started to reach out further, feeling Kanan’s relieved pride, feeling the nervous tension of the clones standing guard (because they  _ had _ to be clones. They felt so similar to each other, and so much like Rex. Ezra mentally kicked himself for not noticing sooner) and finally he felt-

“Oh,  _ wow _ ” He whispered, eyes flying wide in surprise.

Kanan chuckled lightly in response, opening his eyes and stretching out his legs. “I know, right?”

“There’s so many of them! And they’re all-”

“Yup. Every last one.”

“That’s incredible! I can’t believe there were ever so many!”

The clones looked between each other in confusion. They’d gone from hours of silence and tension to this sheer unbridled joy in a matter of seconds. It was rather strange, but what were you supposed to expect with two guys that appeared out of nowhere?

~*~

Another hour passed in fairly companionable silence. There was the odd question and vague answer thrown between master and padawan every now and then before anyone came down to speak to the two prisoners.

Ezra and Kanan opened their eyes simultaneously as the lift at the other end of the hall opened.  They both moved towards the barriers of their cells, listening to the sound of thudding boots.

“Is that them on the end?”

“Yes, General Skywalker,” A clone answered.

“Have they made any attempt to escape or contact anyone?”

“No sir, apparently the younger one seemed to be irritated at being locked up, but he calmed down just over an hour ago.”

Ezra pouted at that. It  wasn’t  his fault he  couldn’t sit still.

“Good. Ahsoka-” Ezra’s eyes widened and he looked over at Kanan, who nodded at him in confirmation. “-and I will escort them both to the council chambers. The masters seem to want to interview them personally.”

“But sir-!” The group stopped in front of the cells, General Skywalker turning to face the clone that he’d been talking with.

“ Don’t worry,  Ahsoka and I will be able to handle this on our own, Rex. I need you to go and start getting the troops ready to ship out again.”

Rex sighed minutely before standing to attention. “Yes sir!”

Kanan leaned casually against the doorway of his cell as Rex left and Ezra followed suit,  shifting his weight and crossing his arms as he turned to face the two Jedi in the hall.

“So, a meeting with the Jedi council! I’m honoured, truly.” Ezra rolled his eyes at his master’s antics, but smiled anyway.

“Can we hurry up and get going? I’m going out of my mind with boredom. There’s only so long you can stare at the same piece of wall for before you start losing it.”  Ezra knew that he and Kanan were probably pushing their luck, but he honestly just wanted out of this cell.

“You  _ could _ have been meditating the entire time, but no. You had to pace for hours on end and drive the rest of us crazy too!”

“Hey! I did meditate!”

“For about two seconds.”

Ezra stuck his tongue out at Kanan as the guards entered  the two cells and cuffed  Kanan and Ezra’s hands behind their backs.

Skywalker raised an eyebrow at  their banter, exchanging a look with his padawan and indicating for them to follow. They obliged and began to leave the corridor, two clones on each side, leaving Ahsoka to bring up the rear.

~*~

The walk up to the council chambers was a long and surprisingly quiet one. After the initial teasing between the two prisoners, they fell into a comfortable silence.

What unnerved Ahsoka wasn’t actually the silence though, it was the way the two walked as if they could go anywhere they wanted. It was an easy, relaxed swagger, with an unspoken conversation layered over the top. Only slight tips of the chin, fractional movements of shoulders and eyebrows gave the hidden conversation away, and even then she wouldn’t have noticed it at all if she hadn’t been watching.

She added it to the growing list of strange things about the two.  The list began with their outfits and the fact that they arrived carrying the lightsabers that were now clipped to her master’s belt.

Even though she knew they were being redeployed as soon as this was finished, she couldn’t deny that she was curious about the prisoners. They felt…strangely familiar. She couldn’t put her finger on how, and she definitely wouldn’t be able to say  _ why _ without knowing more about them.

As deep in thought as she was, she didn’t notice the boy stop in front of her and promptly walked straight into him.

“Hey!”  She cried indignantly. “What do you think you’re-”

“It’s beautiful…” His eyes were fixed out the window at the sunset. From up here there was a fantastic view of Coruscant’s skyline, she had to admit. But that didn’t mean he could just stop and stare.

The elder of the two stepped over so that they were standing side by side looking out together. The intense melancholy in his gaze surprised her.

“I know,”  the older one said, his voice soft and almost nostalgic.  They stood there a moment longer, and Ahsoka looked over questioningly to Anakin who shrugged back at her.

“Kanan we have to-” the boy looked up at the ma- Kanan, a pleading look on his face.

“I  _ know _ Ezra, but we have to be careful about this. We don’t want to make things any worse,”  Kanan spoke gently, shaking his head and turning to start walking again.

“How could it get any worse?” Ezra huffed exasperatedly.

“I think you already know the answer to that question. Come on. We should get going.”

She was surprised by how gentle he sounded. His outfit screamed ‘scoundrel’ but he just didn’t seem to act the part. Not that he seemed to be hiding his true nature either. She added it to the list that was growing by the second.

“So what  _ are _ we going to tell them then?” He jogged to walk alongside Kanan, their small group beginning to get moving again.  The clones guarding the two prisoners seemed just as confused as Ahsoka felt. She wondered if Anakin was confused by this situation, but from her position in the back, she couldn’t really tell.

“What we need to. And Ezra?” The boy looked up and tilted his head in question. “No names but our own. We don’t want to-”

“Put them in danger. I got it.” They nodded solemnly  to each other  as they finally reached the door to the council chamber.

Kanan chuckled  and looked at his padawan to say, “Just follow my lead and don’t do anything stupid.”  As they spoke,  Anakin gave a small signal to the clones and they left to go back to their posts.

“When have I ever done anything stupid?” Ezra asked,  grinning cheekily .

“Do you really want me to answer that?” The  grin turned to a scowl and Kanan burst out laughing as the doors opened.

Ahsoka really hoped the council would let  her and her Master stay and listen. She was really curious now.


	2. Questioning

When they stepped into the Council chambers the room fell silent and all the Masters turned to look at them.

Kanan felt a wave of nostalgia hit him as he looked at the Masters. All here. All  _ alive. _ He let the emotion linger for a moment before releasing into the Force.

He took a breath as they moved to the centre of the room, standing tall and strong. He needed to show he was in control of the situation.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ezra take his place behind him and to the right, shoulders set rigidly but his chin held high. His eyes still searched for exits and threats, but it seemed it was more out of habit than nervousness.

Looking away from his Padawan, he caught the eye of his old Master, Depa Billaba.

An image, forever burned into his memory, flit across his vision. One of her falling because of a blaster wound to the back. A blaster wound dealt to her by the clones; their  _ friends. _ He blinked back the threatening tears and looked away again, ignoring the pain burning in his heart.

_ Force, it was good to see her again. _

He vaguely heard her thanking Ahsoka and Master Skywalker for bringing them up, only for Master Skywalker to mention something about the troops being able to get ready without them. Kanan wasn’t really listening, still mentally reeling from seeing his Master again.

Master Windu decided to lead the questioning after a subtle nod from Master Yoda, his clear strong voice drawing Kanan’s attention back to the present. “Who are you and what is your purpose here?”

Kanan took a steadying breath and squared his shoulders.

“I am Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, and this is my padawan, Ezra Bridger. We’re from the future.”

As the Council broke into stunned muttering at his claim, Ezra shot his Master a look from behind. Ezra hadn’t really expected Kanan to just jump into the situation with the bare truth. As the duo watching, the Council continued talking amongst themselves as they tried to find a way to approach Kanan’s bold claim. He may as well be lying about his rank, in spite of what happened in the temple on Lothal, but that was not the relevant topic here.

Master Windu spoke first, a weird glint of bemusement glittering in his eyes as he leaned forward and interlocked his fingers. “The future, really? And how are we expected to simply believe that two Jedi appear in the middle of the temple, transported here from the future? Do you really expect us to believe you, without giving us any indication why you are here?”

Kanan had hoped the Council would at least listen to their explanation of  _ how _ they got here before they started asking  _ why.  _ But he nodded and turned to look at one of the guards.

“If you could bring forward the things you confiscated from my Padawan and I, I can prove my claims.” Kanan watched as the guard looked to the Masters seated before them, only moving when approval was received.

Some of the Master’s sat forward in awe when the items were placed on the floor before Kanan and Ezra. Among the pile were the pair’s lightsabers, Kanan’s blaster, and the holocron. Kneeling on the ground, Kanan closed his eyes and began the brief meditation to activate the holocron. After a few moments, the gasps and exclamations from around the room told Kanan that the star maps were now being displayed throughout the chamber. He opened his eyes and stood, focusing enough to keep the holocron active.

“This-” Obi-wan began, looking around at the brilliant blue projection of the star maps. “This is one of our holocrons. How did you obtain this?”

“If anything, this proves these two are thieves!” Master Mundi exclaimed from his seat. A few of the other Council members muttered in agreement, nods and glares exchanged between them. Kanan could sense the agitation in the room rising. He knew he had to act fast, but Ezra opened his mouth faster.

“Are we? Check your archives. Check your security footage. We never went down there and I bet you that exact holocron is still there.”

Kanan glanced approvingly at his Padawan as one of the Masters was sent off to check the archives. Ezra and Kanan stood waiting in the middle of the floor, the holocron now resting, inactive, among their weapons. The muttering in the room was like a background buzz as Kanan and Ezra had a silent conversation.

Upon the Master’s return, the buzz faded into astonished silence when it was confirmed that neither Kanan nor Ezra had gone to the archives, and that the holocron down there was not a fake.

“But...this still begs the question of how you obtained this,” Obi-wan spoke, breaking the spell-like silence of the chamber.

Kanan looked this time to his old Master, shoving down the overwhelming nostalgia and pain he felt upon meeting her eyes. She raised her brow expectantly, the gesture so familiar to Kanan that it almost felt like a blow to the chest. He cleared his throat and carried on.

“Master Billaba,” he began. “You are thinking of taking on a youngling named Caleb Dume to be your Padawan. Eventually, while you, Caleb, and your squadron are assigned a mission on Kaller, you will give Caleb the holocron as a teaching instrument, a tool to further his knowledge...and to guide him when the galaxy is threatened by darkness.”

Depa Billaba’s eyes widened considerably, but she exchanged looks with Master Windu, the two having their own silent conversation in the same manner that Kanan and Ezra usually did. Kanan couldn’t help but feel the tug of a smile, finally understanding where he picked up the habit from.

After a few tense moments, Depa Billaba turned back to the Council and raised her chin before she spoke, the way she always did. “I believe Knight Jarrus’ claims. I find no flaw in his evidence, and he does not seem to harbor malcontent to the Order, or the Republic.”

Master Windu spoke next as muttering broke out among the Masters again, his loud voice easily heard by all. “Say we believe you. How exactly did you ‘accidentally’ travel through time?”

Kanan gave a deep sigh, his hands twitching in their restraints as he wished he could cross his arms defensively. “We were in an outpost temple that we’d caught wind was still untouched, searching for a way to defeat the inquisitors that had been chasing us when-”

“Inquisitors?” Master Plo-Koon cut across Kanan. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he curiously examined the Master and Padawan.

He saw Ezra roll his eyes and took a step forward. A quick glance at the boy’s cuffs told him they were unlocked, and he resisted the urge to roll his own eyes.

“A pair of Jedi hunters. Users of the Dark side of the Force, but not quite Sith. Not incredibly skilled, but incredibly persistent, and with the military backing them, it makes them a formidable enemy.”

“And these Jedi hunters can openly hunt you down without fear of repercussions?” Master Kenobi stroked his beard as he spoke, eyebrows furrowed.

Kanan chuckled bitterly. “It’s the Jedi that are shunned in society in our time. You have at least a dozen blasters on you the moment you draw a lightsaber that is isn’t red.”

“The reason you carry a blaster, this is?” Master Yoda raised an eyebrow, a cheeky smile pulling at his lips a little.

He felt his shoulders rise in indignation. “Yes it is. So that my lightsaber isn’t the only weapon I have to defend myself with. If there aren’t any other questions, may I continue?” Yoda waved a hand for him to continue, still smiling. “Thank you.”

“The inquisitors managed to track us down and force their way into the temple. We fought them off for a while, retreating further into the tunnels. We were backed into a dead end, preparing to make a final stand when a door came crashing own, cutting us off from them. Then  _ someone _ -” He looked pointedly at Ezra, who had the decency to duck his head in embarrassment “-saw a handprint in the stone and just  _ had _ to touch it. Big flash of light and next thing we know we’re standing in the middle of the Jedi temple on Coruscant, over 15 years in the past.”

Master Windu raised an eyebrow. “And what planet did you say this outpost temple was on?”

Kanan and Ezra looked at each other before replying in unison, “Yestorix.”

There was a slight gasp and the Masters looked between each other, muttering too lowly to be heard.

“Believe your story, we do. But tell us little of you, your story does. Tell us more of the future, you should. Prevent the Sith’s hold on the galaxy, we must.”

Ezra bristled. “With all due respect, Masters, if we tell you everything about the future then there’s a high chance things will start to change faster than we can cope with. Even worse, if that information falls into the wrong hands then it could be used to eradicate what little hope is left in our future. Yes, we want to change things for the better, but we can’t just run around doing whatever we want without thinking of the consequences!”

Kanan longed to put a comforting hand on his Padawan’s shoulder, and settled for stepping so their arms brushed together, a silent show of support. Ezra took a calming breath before continuing.

“Look, it’s in the best interests of ourselves and of the galaxy as a whole if the Order and the Republic thrive. But we can’t make sure that happens unless you let us  _ help _ you. If you let us go out there, we can figure out how best to apply our knowledge of the future to help others.”

Kanan nodded proudly at his Padawan. The boy certainly had a way with words, and he had learned a lot since being picked up from the streets. “The future has already been set in motion. All we can do now is reduce the damage that will be done,”Kanan added.

Again the Council descended into mutters, this time debating for far longer and with much more passion.

Ezra shuffled uncertainly, suddenly feeling self-conscious at the stares of the Masters. Kanan smiled reassuringly at him, shrugging a single shoulder.  _ What’s done is done. The decision is theirs. _

Kanan looked around the room, watching the muttering slowly stop as the masters nodded to each other in agreement. Only Master Billaba remained silent throughout the discussions, content to simply observe them. Observe  _ him. _

He avoided meeting her eyes again.

Master Yoda sat straight from where he had been leaning to listen to Master Windu and the room fell silent.

“Granted, your request shall be. Go with Knight Skywalker and Padawan Tano on their next assignment, you should. Always at the centre of trouble, they seem to be.”

A smattering of chuckles circuited the room, and Ahsoka pouted while Master Skywalker shrugged. The council weren’t wrong on that count.

Master Skywalker moved behind them and unlocked Kanan’s cuffs. When Ahsoka moved to do the same, he chuckled.

“Don’t worry about unlocking Ezra’s. He’s had those things undone since before we got the chamber.”

His padawan smiled sheepishly, putting one hand on his hip as the unlocked cuffs dangled in his other hand. He rubbed the back of his head, still grinning, as Ahsoka stared at him.

“Oops?”

“B-But I was watching you the entire time! When did you unlock them!?” Ahsoka spluttered incredulously.

Ezra chuckled nervously and handed the cuffs over to Ahsoka. “When we looked out at the sunset. You were too busy trying to figure out what we were talking about to bother looking at what my hands were doing.”

Ahsoka gaped at him. “You have  _ got _ to teach me how to do that.”

“What, planning on getting caught again Snips?”

She scoffed at him. “Not likely, Master, but it pays to be prepared.”

Master Skywalker laughed and turned to the council. “Is there anything else, Masters?”

Master Kenobi shook his head. “Take these two and go make sure your troops are prepared. Oh, and Anakin?”

Kanan’s mouth twitched into a smile at the barely contained eye roll.

“Yes, Master Kenobi?”

“Do  _ try _ not to get your troops blown up this time.” The comment earned a scowl and a pout before Master Skywalker turned and stalked from the council chambers, leaving the other three to trail in his wake.


End file.
